Gymnastics its
not that scary!
Whenever the word gymnastics is mentioned, some
teachers immediately think of young gymnasts
performing unpronounceable tricks on expensive and
unwieldy equipment. However, gymnastics in the
primary PDHPE syllabus is nothing like the skills we
all witnessed in the gymnastics events at the Sydney
Olympic Games. It is all about the exploration of
movement and students being able to control and
move their bodies in a range of ways.
Gymnastics provides students with opportunities to
explore what their bodies can do, the space within
which their bodies can move, the effort involved in
the movement and the environment within which
such movements take place.
The focus for gymnastics in PDHPE K-6 is on exploring
movement, leading to the acquisition of some
preliminary gymnastics skills. Students learn to
control their body in a variety of situations. The major
areas to address in the gymnastics strand of the
syllabus are:
Non-locomotor skills, including bending, twisting,
stretching, static balancing etc.
Lo c o m o to r s k i ll s , including running/walking,
hopping/skipping, jumping/landing etc.
Elements of movement, including spatial awareness,
dynamics, relationships
Composition, including simple combinations of
locomotor and non-locomotor activities.
Skill development
The following information explores some of the
categories of skills that need to be covered when
exploring the gymnastics component of the K-6
syllabus. Suggested teaching activities for developing
these skills have been included.
Once basic statics have been learnt they can be
extended and varied to help develop skills, physical
attributes and correct posture.
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Challenge students to balance:
on one body part
on two body parts
on three body parts
on four body parts.
Perform partner and group activities to develop
co-operative balances, such as leaning against each
other and trying to stand up without using hands
to assist them, or leaning as far away from each
other as they can.
Introduce balance shapes such as:
knee scale
lunge
arabesque
V sit.
Practise balances through problem-solving
activities, e.g. on a bench, try to pass each other
without leaving the equipment.
2. SPRING
The spring involves students projecting themselves
into the air. It can involve springing from both legs,
one leg or even from two hands and two feet. Landing
techniques must also be proficient before students
perform any springing activities.
Springing activities can be sub-divided into two
categories:
unassisted (e.g. off the floor or bench)
1. STATICS
assisted (e.g. off a springboard or beatboard).
Statics are all the held or still positions in
gymnastics and should be the starting point for any
gymnastics program. Statics can be sub-divided into
three categories:
Supports: where the shoulders are above the
apparatus
Hangs: where the shoulders are below the
apparatus
Balances: with a small base of support.
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Explore different ways of jumping, e.g. on the spot,
over objects, off objects.
Rock from toes to the balls of the feet and onto
the heel; spring up and down on the spot; bend
knees softly as feet return to the floor; land on
toes, balls of feet, then heels as softly as possible.
Jump for:
distance: across an imaginary puddle, a hoop
or parallel ropes
height: imagine picking an apple off a tree
accuracy: landing on a target.
Copy the action of a seesaw. One partner springs
up while the other goes down.
Make different body shapes whilst in the air, e.g.
star jumps, tuck jumps, clap above the head.
Design a series of jumps, varying starting and
landing positions, e.g. jump from one foot to
two.
Practise a running take-off from lines or ropes and
progress to a running take-off from a minitrampoline or beatboard, emphasising flight with
height.
Have students land on both feet from various
heights and from different directions, e.g. forwards
and backwards.
Make turns in the air before landing, e.g. 1/4 turn,
1/2 turn.
Get students to jump from small benches onto
mats, controlling their landing.
4. ROTATIONS
A rotation is any turn or spin around an internal axis.
These include:
turns, left or right
rolls, forward and backward
cartwheels.
3. LANDINGS
Body control on landing is an important skill because
it enables students to control the movement of their
body. It is used in all jumping activities and in a range
of games and sports.
Remember for landings:
initial contact with the mat is on the balls of
the feet, followed by bending of the ankles, knees
and hip
feet should be about shoulder width apart
the heels should not spring back up but should
remain on the floor.
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Get students to do a log or pencil roll while lying
on a mat. Roll sideways to the right, return left
(hips and shoulders should rotate at the same
time).
Vary the log roll by holding a partners hands.
Explore different ways of rolling using:
different directions, e.g. forward, backward,
sideways
different starting positions, e.g. crouched, lying,
standing
consecutive rolls.
Practise forward rolls from different positions, such
as from a squat, or roll down a slope.
Practise backward rolls, e.g. rocking to hands and
feet from a squat position.
Revise and build on cartwheel progressions.
5. SWINGS
Swings play a central role in gymnastics as they
develop spatial awareness, body tension and grip
strength. They can be broken into two sub-categories:
Hanging swings
Supported swings
Students need to have developed skills in hanging
before they are physically able to swing safely. They
should also be able to demonstrate reasonable grip
strength before advancing to swing activities.
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Explore different grip combinations with thumbs
curled around the bar, e.g. overhand/underhand/
mixed grips.
Make a shape with:
two hands and two legs
twisted body
one-hand swing.
Practise swinging activities such as:
from a front support, swinging legs under bar
and back
alternating between curling and stretching
alternating between swinging and hanging.
Use task cards incorporating different types of
swings.
6. LOCOMOTIONS
Locomotor activities occur frequently in gymnastics
and some are unique to gymnastics, e.g. moving along
an apparatus. Others, such as running, skipping,
jumping and landing, are generic to many games and
sports.
Locomotions can be broken down into three subcategories:
on the feet
supported
hanging.
Developing the skill: Sample activities
Set up an obstacle course for students. The
activities should encourage students to investigate
different ways of travelling, using their feet.
Practise different ways of travelling, such as
different directions or speeds and changes in body
positions, e.g. high, low, medium.
Investigate ways of changing body position.
Design travel sequences that combine changes of
shape and level.
It is important to reinforce the elements of movement,
such as spatial awareness and dynamics (hard and
soft), when teaching the skills in gymnastics. This
enables students to understand levels, force, time and
rhythm, while working within set boundaries and in
set formations.
Gymnastics also provides students with an
opportunity to work in pairs and groups. Including
activities such as task cards and problem-solving
activities in the gymnastics unit allows students to
develop such skills as interacting, communicating,
decision-making, moving and problem-solving.
For further information and ideas about teaching
gymnastics try the following resources.
ACHPER
PEP series: Gymnastics Lower Primary (30
lessons)
PEP series: Gymnastics Upper Primary and
Lower Secondary (40 lessons)
Available from ACHPER on telephone (08) 8340
3388.
NSW Gymnastics Association
Gymnastics: What is it?
Gymfun manual
Gymnastics skills manual
Gymkits
Gymfun lesson plans.
Available from Gymnastics NSW, telephone
9763 5011.
